Negotiators’ meeting was “good and substantial”

A meeting between Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ozdil Nami on Tuesday was “good and substantial,” according to the Cyprus News Agency.

The two men discussed the chapters of territory, property and the EU, and also prepared the meeting which will take place on Wednesday between President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

The negotiators will meet again on their own next Thursday prior to the talks moving to Geneva next week.

Anastasiades and Akinci have agreed that the UNsponsored talks will continue in Switzerland. On January 911 the two sides will discuss the remaining issues of the Cyprus problem and present maps concerning territorial adjustments, while on January 12 a conference on Cyprus will be convened with the participation of the guarantor powers, as well as other relevant parties “as needed”.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked his British counterpart Theresa May for her support in the effort to find a just and viable solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of UN resolutions and the acquis communautaire.

According to an announcement released in Athens, the Greek Prime Minister had a telephone conversation with Britain’s PM.

“The Prime Minister outlined analytically Greece’s positions on the current developments of the Cyprus problem, in view of the multilateral conference in Geneva,” the statement said.

Earlier, the Athens News Agency, citing a government source, reported that Tsipras was expected to have telephone conversations in the coming days with Theresa May, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Apart from the fact that each of the three countries holds special weight, Athens and the EU, the same source had said, continue to maintain the steadfast position that the European Union’s participation in a multilateral conference in Geneva on January 12 for the Cyprus problem is an indispensable precondition.

At any rate, it had added, the Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state and the Cyprus problem is a central issue which concerns Euro-Turkish relations.

A meeting which will take place possibly on Friday Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and the new UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, is considered to be of crucial importance as matters of substance as well as procedure are expected to be discussed.

In the meantime, in view of the multilateral conference in Geneva, the Greek Prime Minister will brief Greek political party leaders on Monday.

The Greek government expects that a climate of consensus will be ascertained since at a meeting of the Greek National Council of Foreign Policy, which has already taken place, according to sources, the dialogue which took place was constructive and positive.

According to a Number 10 spokesperson, the Tsipras-May call focused on the upcoming Cyprus settlement talks in Geneva.

“The Prime Minister agreed with Prime Minister Tsipras that the two leaders in Cyprus had made excellent progress in advancing discussions, and discussed how to maintain this momentum in the forthcoming Geneva talks. The Prime Minister also reiterated that the UK stands ready to assist the process in any way that we can,” they said.

The UK Government has not ruled out the possibility of Prime Minister May attending the Geneva conference, however final decisions on the level of attendance have not yet been made.

Baroness Anelay, a Foreign Office minister, had told the House of Lords just before Christmas that the UK stood ready to participate “at an appropriate level” and that it looked forward “to receiving further details from the UN and two sides in due course.”

Meanwhile, ahead of his visit to Turkey and Greece on Wednesday and Thursday, Minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan also reiterated that “the UK fully supports the settlement process and is ready and willing to help in any way it can.”

Sir Alan’s visits take place in view of the Geneva talks. In Ankara he will meet Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and Turkish Europe Minister Celik. In Athens, Sir Alan Duncan will meet Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and UN Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide.

“It is an important time in the negotiations and I commend both sides for their continued commitment and determination. I encourage all those involved to approach the talks in January with the same flexibility and creativity that the two leaders of the Cypriot communities have so far demonstrated. I am hopeful that a solution is within reach thanks to the courage and dedication shown by both sides,” said the UK Minister of Europe.